The novel takes place in 1898. Lykov’s friend, Livonian Jaan Titus, went to Riga for the funeral of his older brother Jazep. And he found out that his brother had been killed. The police don't want to look for the culprits. Yazep Titus was a thief and huckster; they killed him - that’s what he needs... When Ian begins his own investigation, he is advised to get out of the city. Having learned about this, the indignant Lykov comes to Riga to help his comrade. And they start looking for the killers on their own. During the investigation, they come across someone's spy network, and the friends also encounter numerous thugs from the Riga suburbs. There is German dominance in Riga, and Russian detectives are having a hard time. The outbreak of a gang war makes it even more difficult to find...